Santis-Lopez was also charged with participating in a criminal syndicate, aggravated assault on a police officer and resisting arrest.

The indictment alleges that the defendants engaged in human smuggling between March 2004 and March 2006. The organization allegedly charged about $1,800 per person. When the defendants were arrested over the weekend of March 3, more than 60 undocumented immigrants were detained. The immigrants were released to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be processed for deportation.

The defendants will be arraigned in Maricopa County Superior Court on March 17. If convicted of all charges, all defendants except Santis-Lopez each face up to 41.25 years in prison. If convicted of all charges, Santis-Lopez faces up to 60.75 years in prison. Assistant Attorney General Theodore Campagnolo is prosecuting this case.